Henry knowles



(N0 Modem I KNOWLES.

CONSTRUCTION OF KILNS, POTTERY 0B. 00KB OVENS, &0. No. 318,264. PatentedMay 19, 1885.

FIG-l. FIG-2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY KNOWLES, OF WOODVILLE, COUNTY OF LEICESTER, ENGLAND.

CONSTRUCTION OF KILNS, POTTERY OR COKE OVENS,&O.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,264, dated May 19,1885.

Application filed December 4, 1984. (N0 model.) Patented in EnglandJanuary 2, 1834, No. 474.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY KNOWLES, firebrick and sanitary-pipemanufacturer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, andresiding at- Albion Works, Woodville, in the county of Leicester,England, have invented certain Improvements in the Construction ofKilns, Pottery or Coke Ovens, Glass-Furnaces, or like Structures, (forwhich I have obtained a patent-in Great Britain, No. 474, dated January2, 1884,) of which'the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of thefire-places in kilns, ovens, and glass and other furnaces for burningbricks, tiles, pipes, terra-cotta, pottery, lime, and other articles andsubstances, and for other purposes to which such fire-places areapplicable. It has for its object the economy of fuel and consumption ofsmoke, which issecured by a simple arrangement of the parts of thefire-places for effecting complete or practically complete combustion ofthe fuel and the gases evolved therefrom, by which a common andlow-priced fuel may be used, and

- from which as much effective heat-power may be obtained and maintainedas from the more expensive qualities of fuel ordinarily used for suchpurposes. It can be applied to all kinds of fire-places used for thevarious purposes enumerated or for other analogous purposes; and itconsists of an arrangement for heating to a high degree the airnecessary to effect complete combustion, and to supply the same to thesolid fuel and gases evolved therefrom in as simple and direct a manneras possible, so that an intense heat is generated at the smallestpossible cost, and smoke is consumed and nuisance avoided.

I construct the sides of the fire-places of fire bricks or blocks withopenings or inlets for the admission of the air. These openings orinlets I make in each side wall of the fireplace in the lower part orash-pit, nearto the fire, and I make them at an acute angle withtheinside or inner walls of the fire-place, the said openings orair-inlets passing in an upward direction for a short distance to easethe draft and to avoid any ledge on which ashes would lodge at the mouthof the inlets, and so avoid choking. I then continue the openings upwardin the side walls, either verti cally or otherwise, to the upper partlevel with the top of the fire or ,thereabout, and out of each I make aseries of perforations or outlets through the sides of the fire-placedircctly to the fire at different levels. These outlets I alsopreferably make at a slightly acute angle downward, to make them clearof ashes and to make them slanting in the direction the fire is workingto ease the draft. I also prefer to make the outlets wider at theirmouths for the better distribution of the heated air to the fuel. Ifthere be sufficient space in the side wall to allow of the constructionof an air-chamber into which the inlet-fines enter at the bottom and outof the sides of which the outlet-fines can be made, as in the case ofthe above-described openings, such an air-chamber may be used, ifdesired. These openings or air-fines in the side walls are for thepurpose of supplying the air necessary for combustion in a highly-heatedstate'to the solid fuel, on which it impinges as it issues from thefines, and causes energetic combustion instead of slow combustion, whichresults from burning against a dead wall with insufficient air of lowtemperature.

The interior of the side walls next the fire may be either plain,corrugated, fluted, grooved, or ribbed. corrugated, grooved, or ribbedwhen they are made of sufficiently refractory fire-brick towithstand theintense heat and wear, as the grooves enable the air to spread morefreely upon the fuel.

In combination with the above-described improvements I construct in thecrown or archway of the fire-place openings or air-fines for the supplyof heated air to the gases evolved from the burning fuel, which as theyrise are met by the heated air issuing from the said openings in thecrown or arch over the fire, and by combining with the said air areconsumed and generate intense heat. In carrying this into effect Iconstruct the crown or arch of the fire-place of fire bricks or blocks,and at the top, across the front of the same, I make a series ofair-inlets and continue them through the bricks alternately at varyingangles downward in the direction the fire is working, so as to open overdifferent portions of the fire, and I make them wider at the outlet forthe better diffusion of the heated air I prefer to make them among thegases as they are evolved and pass under the crown or'archway, wherethey mix together and burn with great intensity, and complete combustionis effected and the smoke consumed. If the air be found at any time tobe in excess of what is required to efi'ectcomplete combustion, thesupply can be regulated as desired by closing or partially closing asmany of the inlets over the fire as may be necessary.

By the above improved arrangement of airflues, constructed ,in the formand manner as described and passing through the highlyheated brick-workofthefire-place, the air reference indicating corresponding parts in allthe figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fire-place, the example given being afireplace such as is generally ,used in brick and pipe kilns. Fig. 2 isa vertical section of the same, taken on the line 1 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa horizontal sectiontakenon the line34, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is also ahorizontal section, but taken on the line 5 6, Fig. 1. V

A is the fireplace proper; B, the ash-pit,

I and Othe opening through which the fuel is fed to the fireplace A, andD is the arch or crown of the fire-place.

The sides of the ash-pit B have in them the openings or inlets b, whichare continued in passages b toward the upper part of the walls of thefire-place A. The branch perforations I) lead from these passages I) atdifferent levels.

In Fig.1 I have shown the side walls of the fire-place A next the fireas being fluted, grooved, or ribbed, as hereinbefore mentioned; but theymay be plain, if desired.

Inthe crown or arch D are flues or passages d, through which air passesto meet the gases evolved from the fuel in the fire-place A. Thesepassages are made with-their inner ends directed .downward at varyingangles, as shown at (1, so as to discharge the air (which has becomehighly heated in its passages through the fines (I) over the whole areaof the back of the fire-place, or that part past which the gases andsmoke escape therefrom. a

In working, the fuel is fed at the mouth O ,of the fire-place and as thefires are gradually made up the side walls of the said fire-place andthe arch D become intensely heated, so that the air in its passagethrough the airflues described is highly heated, and on emerging at theoutlets in the side walls it impinges on the burning fuel, causing'intensecombustion, and the gases and smoke evolved are met as they passunder the arch or crown by the hot air issuing from the air-fines d d,which air combines with the said gases and smoke and complete combustioniseffected. In case the air passing through the tines in the crown is inexcess of what is required to effect complete combustion, it can bereadily regulated or checked by the insertion of plugs or stoppers intothe inlets of the airfines.

My invention isapplicable to all kinds'of 'fire-places-in which thehereinbefore-described air-fines can be constructed, substantially ashereinbefore described, and shown in the drawings.

My improvements are designed more especially for burning the commonerand cheaper qualities offuel, such as slack, which, being small, liestoo close and dense to admit of the requisite amount of air beingsupplied inthe ordinary way, thereby causing slow combustion and theevolution of dense volumes of smoke, causing great nuisance and muchwaste of fuel; but these evils are prevented when air is suppliedaccording to my invention.

I claim as my invention 4 I 1. A fireplace for a kiln or oven having inthe side walls air-inlets bat the ash-pit, vertical passages 22 leadingtherefrom, and a series of branch perforations, b from said passagesinto the fire-place and combustion-chamber, substantially asdescribed.

2. A fire-place for a kiln or ovenhaving its inner walls grooved orcorrugated, and having air inlets and passages bib", and branchperforations b from said passages into the fire-place at differentlevels, substantially as' IIC Clerks with Messrs. M oody & lVooZZey,Solicitors, v

- Derby.

